putting success into perspective

[DemocratAholic]

there seems to be a lot of happiness among democrats recently about the recent successes passing bills in the congress. not trying to rain on anyone’s parade, but i think we need to be careful how we view this and put it into proper perspective. i recall 2 years ago, after we had taken over both houses of congress and the white house, some people were gloating and saying that it was the end of the republican party. 2 years later, we took a “shellacking” in the election. it seems it wasn’t until after that happened, that we actually made much progress in the congress when faced with the reality that our time to make any progress was quickly coming to an end.

1. our ability to accomplish anything in congress is now over. we have lost control of the house, perhaps the most important powerful part of our system of government. they control the purse strings. we got a glimpse into the future with the failure to pass the omnibus spending bill in the senate recently. yes we passed health care reform and other bills, now how do we implement it with no money? the republicans have done this before, used the power of controlling the purse strings to limit what the president is able to do.

2. the recent success of things in the senate is not an indication of a new wave of bipartisanship. it was the result of some republicans faced with the same reality that we democrats are faced with. the right wing will soon be controlling everything that comes from congress. yes, some republicans joined with dems when faced with that fact. lieberman, brown, the senators from maine, other “moderate” republicans...they recognized that as their last chance to show any kind of a “moderate” stance on any issue. now they can go into their own re-election campaigns and say...i am a moderate republican. it was pure self interest. don’t expect this to continue, particularly with a presidential election in 2012 and a republican controlled house.

3. we still have a huge problem that is not being addressed. what are we going to do to take back control of the congress in 2012...or any time in the foreseeable future? if 2010 is an indication, our party is completely without a coherent message. the DNC has become basically non-existent. progressive organizations like MoveOn seem paralyzed and without any power. there is little enthusiasm within the party, particularly among the base. while obama moves to the center to try and get re-elected, democratic candidates for the house and senate, as well as governors, mayors, etc., seem to be left in the dust. let’s be honest here...obama didn’t really do much to help dem candidates in 2010, he didn’t make much of an effort. is that going to change in the next 2 years? is he going to do something to fix the DNC, to provide a coherent message for dems to run on in 2012? or will he be fixated on his own re-election?

i am not trying to be critical of obama. i am trying to be a realist, and point out the reality of the situation we are now faced with. the democratic party is a mess right now. the fact we have passed a few bills that were important to us recently...don’t be fooled into thinking that is an indication that the party has a bright and rosy future. to the contrary, the future is looking rather bleak. let’s not be fooled into a false sense of security. we need to make drastic changes, and we need to make them soon. i think it needs to start with the DNC, and i think progressives in the party need to put a lot of pressure on obama to fix that organization...fast. it is THE organization that represents all democrats, and it must be the first place we start. personally, i'd like to see a return of Howard Dean to the DNC. i doubt that's going to happen, but we need someone with that kind of passion and enthusiasm to be leading it. i'm sure obama's chances are pretty good for 2012, but what about the rest of the dem candidates? are we going to be hearing a similar message from the past, that people like divided government? are we going to lose more seats in the house and the senate, lose total control of the senate in 2012? as important as the presidency is, the congress is where laws are made. our agenda is going no where as long as it is controlled by republicans.

[Happyhippychick]

1. And he didn't cure cancer!

[DemocratAholic]

2. thanks for that

you made me realize it's not worth the effort. i finally got it.